Merck & Co., Inc. $MRK Shares Sold by Boston Trust Walden Corp

Key Points

• Boston Trust Walden cut its Merck stake by 12% in the third quarter, selling 53,672 shares and retaining 393,390 shares valued at about $57.2 million.
• Merck reported quarterly EPS of $2.49, beating the $2.09 estimate, and revenue of $18.09 billion, up 4.7% year over year and above expectations.
• Analysts’ consensus rating was Moderate Buy, with an average price target of $155.74; company insiders sold 135,635 shares worth about $18.0 million over 90 days.

Boston Trust Walden Corp cut its holdings in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Free Report) by 12.0% during the third quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 393,390 shares of the company's stock after selling 53,672 shares during the period. Boston Trust Walden Corp's holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. were worth $57,164,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Round Rock Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.7% in the second quarter. Round Rock Advisors LLC now owns 9,901 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,272,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Cypress Wealth Services LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% in the third quarter. Cypress Wealth Services LLC now owns 13,807 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,960,000 after buying an additional 69 shares in the last quarter. Code Waechter LLC increased its position in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 3.4% in the third quarter. Code Waechter LLC now owns 2,179 shares of the company's stock valued at $317,000 after buying an additional 71 shares in the last quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.5% during the 2nd quarter. Cascade Financial Partners LLC now owns 14,746 shares of the company's stock worth $1,895,000 after buying an additional 80 shares during the period. Finally, Somerset Trust Co raised its stake in shares of Merck & Co., Inc. by 0.9% during the 2nd quarter. Somerset Trust Co now owns 8,701 shares of the company's stock worth $1,118,000 after buying an additional 81 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 76.07% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Jennifer Zachary sold 80,315 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $133.46, for a total transaction of $10,718,839.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 45,509 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,073,631.14. The trade was a 63.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Chirfi Guindo sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $135.00, for a total value of $1,350,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 36,613 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,942,755. This represents a 21.45% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 135,635 shares of company stock worth $18,011,040. 0.17% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Leerink Partners increased their target price on Merck & Co., Inc. from $127.00 to $161.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, September 9th. UBS Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $145.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Jefferies Financial Group boosted their price target on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $152.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, August 20th. Sanford C. Bernstein upped their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $100.00 to $105.00 and gave the stock a "market perform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of Merck & Co., Inc. from $125.00 to $145.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, October 12th. Seventeen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eleven have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $155.74.

Merck & Co., Inc. News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Merck & Co., Inc. this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wall Street’s broad advance provided a supportive backdrop for stocks, including healthcare shares; this looks like a market-wide tailwind rather than a Merck-specific catalyst. Stocks Surged Across the Board Today, and Biotech Brought Its Own Earnings Story
• Positive Sentiment: Cantor Fitzgerald raised its price target on Merck, while Freedom Broker reportedly forecast further appreciation, signaling supportive analyst sentiment. Cantor Fitzgerald Price Target Bump Freedom Broker Forecast
• Positive Sentiment: The FDA granted emergency-use authorization for a Merck treatment for screwworm in dogs, offering a potential near-term opportunity in animal health. Merck gets US FDA emergency use nod for treatment of screwworm in dogs
• Positive Sentiment: Merck began enrolling patients in a Phase 3 study of Ohtuvayre to assess whether it can prevent COPD exacerbations. The trial expands the drug’s potential, though results are not yet available. Merck Initiates Phase 3 Study of Ohtuvayre
• Neutral Sentiment: Merck’s pipeline is cited as a possible growth driver, but the company’s looming patent cliff remains a significant longer-term risk to growth. Merck's Pipeline Could Be Its Next Big Growth Driver
• Negative Sentiment: DZ Bank cut its rating from Buy to Hold, setting a $153 price target that suggests limited upside from the price cited in the report. DZ Bank rating update

Merck & Co., Inc. Price Performance

NYSE:MRK opened at $150.19 on Thursday. Merck & Co., Inc. has a 12 month low of $82.91 and a 12 month high of $156.92. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $146.57 and a two-hundred day moving average of $127.26. The company has a current ratio of 1.32, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.22. The firm has a market cap of $370.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 154.84, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 6.57 and a beta of 0.13.

Merck & Co., Inc. (NYSE:MRK - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, October 29th. The company reported $2.49 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.09 by $0.40. The business had revenue of $18.09 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $17.33 billion. Merck & Co., Inc. had a return on equity of 16.56% and a net margin of 3.64%. The business's revenue was up 4.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $2.58 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that Merck & Co., Inc. will post 2.85 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Merck & Co., Inc. Profile

Merck & Co, Inc is a global healthcare company that develops, manufactures and markets prescription medicines, vaccines and animal-health products. Its pharmaceutical business focuses on oncology, infectious diseases, cardiology, immunology and other areas of significant medical need. The company serves patients, healthcare providers and institutions in markets worldwide.

Merck's principal products include Keytruda, an immunotherapy used to treat a range of cancers; Gardasil and Gardasil 9, vaccines that help protect against human papillomavirus; and Januvia and Janumet, medicines used to manage type 2 diabetes.

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